Leading and Living

Captain Eugene Handza, Pharmacist (Reserve) talks about role/experience/benefits - why he joined - better fit for his lifestyle, flexibility to work full time and to serve. Army has enhanced his clinical pharmacy skills,leadership & manage...

Turn Dreams Into Reality

Leading and Living

Captain Eugene Handza, Pharmacist (Reserve) talks about role/experience/benefits - why he joined - better fit for his lifestyle, flexibility to work full time and to serve. Army has enhanced his clinical pharmacy skills,leadership & manage...

Gene Handza - Captain: I'm a Pharmacist. My Reserve unit is the 352nd Combat Support Hospital out of Fresno, California.

I'm currently the Chief of Pharmacy at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fresno, California. I've been there for about a year and a half. I've been with the VA, or Veterans Administration, in total for about 10 years.

I chose the Reserves because it was a better fit for my lifestyle. It gave me the flexibility of not only working at a full-time job that I love, but also being able to serve my country as a Soldier. I think that the Army Reserves has greatly enhanced my clinical pharmacy skills and my leadership and management abilities so that I'm able to not only learn these, but apply them not only in my civilian job, but also when I put on the uniform and do my duty.

Army schools, training, and education make you a more well rounded professional than maybe some of the private sector facilities around the country.

For instance, pharmacists might be able to participate and have prescribing privileges in such clinics as hematology, oncology, pain assessment, HIV, clinical rounding with physicians, primary care, specialty care, pulmonology, and the list goes on and on for what pharmacists are capable of providing in terms of Health Care.

I think the Army Reserves offers many opportunities that you wouldn't have otherwise. I would recommend any pharmacist to become an Army Reserve Pharmacist.